Novo Nordisk increases focus on stem cell-based therapies

Novo Nordisk has announced an increased commitment to stem cell-based therapies and an expansion of the focus on type 1 diabetes.

This has been made possible through an exclusive collaboration with the University of California, San Francisco in which a first milestone in the development of human embryonic stem cell lines has been reached.

Under the terms of the agreement with the UCSF, Novo Nordisk has licensed a technology to enable the generation of good manufacturing practice compliant human embryonic stem cell lines as well as the rights to further develop these into future regenerative medicine therapies.

In early May, the partners reached an important milestone with the inauguration of a new GMP laboratory at the UCSF, the Danish multinational pharmaceutical company said in a statement yesterday.

At the laboratory, employees from the university and Novo Nordisk will be working together on deriving the cell lines that are expected to define a new quality standard in production of stem cell-based therapies.

After two decades of intensive research focusing on the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into insulin-producing beta cells, Novo Nordisk has now achieved preclinical proof of concept.

Together with Cornell University, Novo Nordisk has also made significant progress in developing an encapsulation device that will protect the beta cells that are transplanted into patients from attack by the immune system.

Novo Nordisk anticipates that the first clinical trial could be initiated within the next few years.

“Finding a cure for diabetes is part of Novo Nordisk's vision and recent progress in our stem cell research and the access to robust and high-quality cell lines raises hopes for people with type 1 diabetes,” said Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, executive vice-president and chief science officer of Novo Nordisk.

“Our collaboration with the UCSF is also expected to accelerate current and future partnerships to develop stem cell-based therapies for treatment of other serious chronic diseases.”

Stem cell-based therapy is emerging as a treatment option for a number of serious chronic diseases. It has the potential to provide novel treatments for diseases with high unmet medical needs where no or inadequate therapies exist.